Tuesday, April 28, 2009

How to Create a Nature Journal

Nature Journals are wonderful keepsakes for this time of year. There is so much change going around us and journaling is a great way to record this beauty. Not only is it preserving memories, but it is a valuable tool to help with beginning writing and reading.

Last year, the girls created a picture nature journal. After many nature walks, they illustrated their journals to show their discoveries. My eldest labeled her pictures and wrote beginning sentences. This year, we are going to do a photo journal. They are going to help Mom take pictures and then organize them in a journal. Sunshine will be able to write more about her discoveries this year and Peanut will be able to label her pictures.

My former students also enjoyed getting outdoors to explore nature. For my students' journals, I organized each page so that there was room for them to sketch as well as record facts about their discoveries. Designing their own covers personlized each journal and gave the project ownership.

An illustrated and photo journal can also be combined. Your child can add photos or illustrations throughout different times of the year. Nature Journaling is a great long-term project for your children, because they can add pages to their project if necessary.